The Butterfly Effect
by melody's muse
Summary: Instead of Vamp Willow, Anya's spell sucks the Wishverse versions of Buffy and Angel into Sunnydale. Now the gang must help them return to their reality, and begs the question: What would your life be like if you made one different choice? B/A
1. The Spell

**5/30/15: I've been nominated for some fanfic awards! Please vote for me! See my profile for details. :)**

DISCLAIMER: All of the characters, settings, and anything else from Buffyverse all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and maybe a lot of other people. But not me! This story is written strictly for my own amusement.

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><p>AN: Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've posted anything here but I'm happy to say I'm back and with a brand new story! But despite my history of writing extremely long fanfics, this will be a short one! (And yet, it still amazingly took forever to write…)

So I had this idea brewing for a while and finally decided to write it out. I always wanted to know more about the Buffy from the Wishverse and how she came to be the way she is, and I wondered what would happen if the two Buffys met. And personally, I would have loved more than two seconds of interaction between the Wishverse Buffy and Angel. I also thought it would be fun if there were two Angels hanging around Sunnydale…because hey, two Angels are certainly better than one, right? ;)

Also, since we will have TWO Buffys and TWO Angels, I will sometimes refer to the alternate Buffy as Cleveland Buffy and the alternate Angel as Wishverse Angel to limit any confusion as to who is who. Unless they are in a scene by themselves, which they will then just be referred to as Buffy and Angel. I think it should be obvious which Buffy and Angel I'm referring to though.

Now, enough of me rambling on…Enjoy! :)

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><p>"It's times like these I wish there were two of me!" Buffy said as she fought off three vampires at once. Fighting one was easy. Fighting two was a bit more difficult, but manageable. Three was pushing it.<p>

"I've got him!" Angel said, rushing over to Buffy's aid. He dusted vampire number three as Buffy finished off the other two.

"Thanks." Buffy brushed the dust from her shirt and glanced around the cemetery. "I think that's all of them. Let's patrol around the school." Buffy led the way, leading them out of the graveyard.

"So, what's the matter?" Angel asked a few moments later.

"What?"

"Before those guys back there interrupted us, I was asking what was bothering you."

"Oh, right. I sort of had a fight with Willow earlier."

"You and Willow had a fight?"

"More like a spat, really. I made a comment about how reliable she was, and she took it the wrong way. Then she avoided me for the rest of the day.I don't know what's up with her lately."

"Maybe she's just having a bad day."

Buffy paused, turning to face Angel. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Something's obviously bothering Willow, and here I am, her best friend, clueless about it all. I should go talk to her."

"Where would Willow be now?"

"It's a school night. She's probably doing her homework at the library."

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><p>"I really appreciate you helping me with this," Anya said as Willow led her into the library.<p>

"Oh it's no problem. I love magic! So, is there anything else we need for the spell?"

Anya suddenly hesitated. "Maybe we shouldn't do this here."

"Why not?"

"Is the, um, librarian here? Giles?"

Willow peered into his office. "No, I think he went home to get something. He was here a little while ago. Oh but he won't mind. He's okay with spells and stuff. Most of the time anyway."

Anya took a few moments to set things up. She put a plate with a necklace painted on it, some candles, and a few other items on the floor between them. "Did you bring the chicken feet?"

"Two chicken feet," Willow said, supplying the necessary items.

"Thanks."

"So, Anya, you haven't told me what this spell is for exactly."

Anya took a match and lit the candles. "I'm trying to get back a necklace that was stolen from my mom's apartment. It was a family heirloom passed down for generations."

"Okay. So how does the spell work?"

"Well, we both call on Eryishon, the Endless One, offer up the standard supplication, then there's a teensy temporal fold. We hope. Then I pour the sacred sand on the representation of the necklace, and Eryishon brings it forth from the time and place it was lost."

"Cool."

"Okay, everything's set up," Anya announced. "Ready?"

Willow nodded. "I think so."

"Good." Anya took a deep breath and held her palm over the plate. "Eryishon. K'shala. Meh-uhn."

Willow, following Anya's lead, held her hand, palm-up, over the plate as well. "Diprecht. Doh-tehenlo nu-Eryishon."

Anya picked up the container of sacred sand and held it over the plate. "The child to the mother."

"The river to the sea," Willow added.

Anya closed her eyes. "Eryishon, hear my prayer."

Willow closed her eyes as well, but when she did, she felt an energy envelope her, starting at the tips of her fingers and working its way through her body. Willow snapped her eyes open, shocked by the power of the spell.

Anya's eyes were still closed, and she appeared to be in some trancelike state.

Willow, meanwhile, struggled to move as images, horrifying images, gripped her mind. A demon choking Giles. Vampires_ everywhere_. The Master laughing. Humans in cages, like lambs to the slaughter. Herself…_a vampire_? She thought maybe Buffy had been there too, and then, she heard her…

"Hey! What are you doing to her?"

Anya's eyes opened as she whipped around. A few grains of sand flew out of the container unnoticed, briefly touching Buffy and Angel before landing to the floor.

"A spell!" Anya snapped. "Leave us alone!" Anya commenced with pouring the sacred sand on the plate.

Buffy yanked Anya off the floor, sand spilling everywhere, and Willow, feeling the connection broken, fell back. Angel caught her before her head hit the floor.

"Are you okay, Willow?" he asked.

"I feel weird," she answered. "W-what was that?"

"What the hell did you do to her?" Buffy demanded. "Paralyze her with some sort of weird magic trip?"

"Relax! Willow was just helping me with a spell. It's not my fault she's too much of a wimp to handle this kind of magic!"

"Hey, I resent that!" Willow squeaked out.

Anya knelt down on the floor, feeling for her necklace in the sand. "Oh no! It's not here! Damn it! It's not here!" Anya looked up from the floor, glaring at both Buffy and Angel. "Thanks a lot! You ruined the spell!"

Buffy took a step closer, staring Anya down. "I think you need to go now."

"Fine! But I _will_ get my necklace back! One way or the other!" Anya grabbed a few scattered items from the floor, dumping the remaining sand from the plate carelessly in a heap, then stormed out of the library.

"You okay, Will?" Buffy asked.

Willow nodded. "Yeah, I think so. That spell was a little blacker than I like my arts."

"What's the deal with the necklace?" Angel asked.

Willow shrugged. "She said it was some family heirloom that was stolen and she was trying to get it back."

Angel raised an eyebrow. "With a spell?"

"Uh huh. She said she needed a secondary to create a temporal fold. But I'm not so sure she was being entirely honest with me."

"Well whatever she's up to, it's obviously nothing good," Buffy said, casting a wary glance toward the door. "Think we ought to go after her?"

Angel shook his head. "I think everything's fine for now. But it might be a good idea to keep a close eye on her."

"Well I'm definitely not doing magic with her again!" Willow said with a huff. "That was just weird!"

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><p><em>Meanwhile at an abandoned factory…<em>

Angel fell to the floor on his back, Buffy collapsing over him.

They stared at each other for a moment, both confused at this strange turn of events, and position, before Buffy quickly got off him and jumped to her feet.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?" A quick glance around the empty factory was enough to confirm that something, indeed, was definitely off. "Was it just my imagination, or was there fighting going on here two seconds ago?"

"It wasn't your imagination." Angel stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants, which didn't do much good considering the fact that his pants were already very dirty.

Buffy walked around the empty factory, hoping to find clues, but came up empty. "This is same factory alright. Just…different."

"But no one has been here."

Buffy turned around and gave him a confused look. "How do you figure?"

"Sense of smell," Angel answered. "If the Master had been here, I'd be able to pick up his scent."

"Gross. What is it with you vampires and the smelling people?"

"There hasn't been anyone here, dead or alive, in a long time."

"This is so…weird. How do you think we got here?"

"I'm not sure, but obviously some powerful force."

"Come on," Buffy said, heading for the door. "We should go see that Jeeves…er, Giles guy, whatever his name is. I bet he can figure out what's going on." Buffy reached the door and opened it, then turned back to Angel. "You coming or what?"

Angel nodded, then followed Buffy out of the empty factory.

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><p>AN: I know it's a short chapter, but I thought this was a good place to end it! Will have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for reading! :)


	2. We're Not In Kansas Anymore

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," Buffy remarked as she and Angel made their way through the downtown area of Sunnydale.

"It definitely looks…different around here," Angel agreed. "Like how it used to look before."

"Yeah, there's like, _life_."

And there_ was_ life in this Sunnydale. Businesses were open. People were outside. And vampires? Not one in sight, except for Angel himself.

"I guess there's no curfew anymore," Angel said, seeing a group of teenagers milling about at the Bronze, fully restored to its original glory. A sign out front announced a band called _Dingoes Ate My Baby_ were playing tonight.

"Well the club looks different," Buffy said.

"That's how it used to look."

"Yeah, with no vampires."

"Who's this man we're going to see again?"

"Some British guy. He's a watcher." Buffy glanced at Angel, a wary expression on her face. "You might not want to mention that you're a vampire. You're not hungry or anything, are you?"

"I don't feed on humans anymore. I swear."

Buffy glanced at him, a bit skeptical. _A vampire that didn't feed on humans?_ She gripped her stake a little tighter, just for safety.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, until finally, Buffy's curiosity got the better of her.

"What did you mean earlier?"

"I don't know. What did I say?"

"When I first found you. That bit about me being your destiny or whatever. What was that about?"

"I meant that you were supposed to be here. You were supposed to come to Sunnydale."

"Well Mom decided on Cleveland. The job paid more. For all the good that did her."

"I waited for you. I had hoped you would come. But then the Harvest started, and the Master rose, and then, well, you saw the way Sunnydale looked before."

"How did you know who I was?"

"This guy, Whistler, he came to me one day. He spoke for the Powers, and he told me about you. I watched you. I saw you slay your first vampire. You looked so…scared and nervous. And I knew then that I wanted to help you. So I came to Sunnydale, because that's where I heard you were moving. But then…you never showed. I was supposed to help you."

"I don't need help. I work alone."

"Maybe you do need help. You just don't realize it yet."

"Why would you want to help me?"

"To make up for all the pain and suffering I've caused people for a start."

"So I'm supposed to believe you're what? Some sort of reformed vampire?"

"I have a soul."

"Vampires don't have souls."

"No, they don't. Except me. I was cursed with one."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gypsies," Angel explained. "I killed a young girl, a favorite among her clan, and for punishment, they cursed me with a soul."

"Why?"

"So that I would feel the guilt of all the torment I caused for eternity, that's why. And I do. Every day."

"Look, I believe you want the Master dead, but the Master's not here right now. Why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't just some game you're playing, some sort of 'keep your enemies close' type deal?"

"You don't. But you'll have to trust me anyway. I still want to help you."

Buffy considered what he said, then nodded toward her left. "His apartment's that way."

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><p>Willow began to pick up the remaining items on the floor, cleaning up the mess she and Anya had left behind.<p>

"Here, let me help you," Buffy offered, sweeping up the sand from the floor with a small broom and dust pan.

"Thanks, Buffy."

"No big."

"Actually, I meant thanks for coming to my rescue. I'm sorry I was so horrible today. I just had a bad day. I didn't mean to take it out on you and Xander."

"That's okay, Will. And actually, I'm sorry too. I should have realized something was bugging you today. You want to talk about it?"

"Oh, it's just Percy," Willow said, standing up and putting the spell items in a bag.

"Tutoring not going so well?"

"'Tutoring'? What tutoring? Apparently he's under the assumption that tutoring him means I do all his homework for him."

"Want me to kick his ass?" Buffy asked.

Willow smiled. "As great as that sounds, no, that's okay. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Are you sure? Because my fist can be very persuasive."

"Really, it's okay, Buffy. I'll figure something out."

Buffy dumped the rest of the sand into a nearby trashcan, then placed the small broom and dust pan on the counter. "I think that's all of it."

"Thanks."

"Are you sure there's nothing else I could do?"

"I'm fine."

"And we're good?"

Willow smiled. "We're good."

"Well, we better go." Buffy looked to Angel and smiled. "Finish up patrol at the Bronze?"

Angel nodded. "Goodnight, Willow."

Willow waved as she took some books out of her bag, ready to tackle the rest of her homework. "Goodnight."

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><p>Buffy approached the apartment building, Angel close behind.<p>

"I hope this is where he still lives. If not, we might be a little screwed." Buffy inhaled deeply, then knocked on the door.

After several long moments, the door finally opened. Buffy lit up at the sight of Giles. "Oh, good, you're still here!"

Giles stared at Buffy, confused for a moment. "Buffy? Are you…alright?" Something seemed…different about her.

"Something weird is going on." Buffy pushed past Giles and headed inside.

Angel remained outside, waiting for an invitation.

"You can come in, Angel," Giles said, holding the door open.

Angel was surprised the man knew his name, and he hesitantly walked through the threshold.

Giles closed the door and turned around, taking in the appearance of them both. Angel had the appearance of someone who'd just rolled out of bed and hadn't showered in days. His hair was scruffy, his clothes were rumpled, and he was obviously dirty. It was odd, for Angel always appeared well-groomed.

Perhaps they'd just been fighting?

Buffy also didn't appear to be entirely herself. She seemed rather distant, and there was something else about her. Giles couldn't put his finger on it at first, and then suddenly, he realized what it was.

"Your clothes. They're…different."

Buffy looked down at herself and brushed off the feelings of self-consciousness. "Well I know it's not the latest fashion craze, but vampires are attracted to bright colors."

Now Giles _knew_ something was different about Buffy. If there was one thing he had learned about his young charge in the two years he'd known her, it was that Buffy Summers took the matter of fashion _very seriously_. If she was slaying, she was slaying in_ style._

Giles walked across the room and studied her for a moment, getting a closer look at her. Now that he saw her in the light, he could see a definite scar on and above her lip, one he was certain was not there before. And even though her hair was pulled back, he could tell it was much longer.

"You're not Buffy." Giles turned around to face Angel, suddenly realizing what had been so odd all along. "And you're not Angel."

"Actually…we are," Buffy said. "It's just that everything seems…different."

Giles turned back around to face Buffy. "I don't understand."

"Join the club," Buffy remarked.

As different as she was, the mannerisms were certainly the same. "Perhaps you should both tell me what's going on." Giles indicated the couch and chairs in the living room and they sat down.

"Okay, it's like this," Buffy started. "My watcher sent me here. He said you had called him—"

"Wait, stop for a minute. Your watcher…sent you here? From where?"

"From Cleveland," Buffy clarified.

Giles shook his head, clearly confused.

"I think we're stuck in some sort of alternate universe," Angel spoke up.

"Yeah, it's like Bizarro Land or something, only in a good way. This town looks way better than it did before."

It was all starting to make sense to Giles. This was why Buffy and Angel were acting so strange. It wasn't because they weren't Buffy and Angel; it was the fact that they were Buffy and Angel from an alternate reality.

"I've heard of this before," Giles mused aloud. "Alternate realities. Same world but subtle, or sometimes, major differences. Please continue. Tell me everything."

"Alright. So I came here to Sunnydale. And yeah, it was way different. The streets were deserted. All the businesses were closed. It was like the town was living in fear."

"Of vampires?"

"Yeah. Anyway, you needed some kind of help with this demon. And while I was here, you mentioned a Master vampire who had taken up residence in some nearby club."

"_The Master?"_

"You've heard of him?"

"You killed him, Buffy. Er, I mean the Buffy here killed him. But that was nearly two years ago."

"Well he's dead and kicking in the other Sunnydale."

"Buffy was supposed to be there," Angel said.

Giles turned to Angel and stared at him for a moment. "What about you? How do you play in all this?"

"The Master was keeping me prisoner. He only kept me alive to torture me. But Buffy was supposed to be there to stop him. I came to Sunnydale to help her, but she never came, and after the harvest, the Master took over."

"And turned the town into a nightmare," Giles said, following along with the story.

Angel nodded. "Yeah, that's a bit of an understatement."

"So how did you two get pulled into this reality?"

Buffy shrugged. "We don't know. We were sort of hoping you could help us figure that out."

"What were you doing just before you came here?"

"I went to find the Master, and that's when I found Angel. He told me where he was and offered to help, so we went to kill him. We were fighting, and then the next thing we knew…we were here."

"In some abandoned factory," Angel said. "The very one we had been fighting in."

"Only it was different, like, completely empty."

Giles rose from the couch, taking his glasses off and wiping them with a handkerchief in his pocket as he paced the living room.

"This is very interesting," he said. "Let's go back to what you said before. Your watcher sent you here because I called him? About a demon?"

"Yeah, some vengeance demon. I think you called her Anyanka."

"Anyanka. Well that's certainly a start." Giles walked over to the door and grabbed his coat. "We should go to the library and research this a little further. I was about to head back over there anyway. Come on, I can drive us there."


	3. Seeing Double

**A/N: I had planned on posting this yesterday, figuring that since the chapters were so short, I didn't want to keep you all waiting for so long! Unfortunately, FFNET was being stupid and wouldn't even let me log in. :( **

**Anyway, it appears the site is now functional again (I hope!) so here's the next chapter! Thanks for the lovely reviews! :)**

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><p>"So you're a librarian, huh?" Buffy said as she and Angel followed Giles down the hallway of the high school. "You must really love books. You're about as bad as my watcher."<p>

Giles ignored the comment as he led the two into the library.

Willow, who had been walking to the table, looked up upon their arrival and smiled. "Hey, guys." She then stared at Buffy, immediately surprised by her appearance. "Buffy, you changed your clothes."

Buffy suddenly ran across the room and grabbed Willow, slamming her against the counter and taking the young witch by surprise. Seconds later, a stake was pointed to her chest.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Buffy demanded.

Willow's eyes grew wide, feeling panic followed by confusion. "Buffy, what are you doing? _It's me_! _Willow!"_

"Buffy, she's good!" Giles yelled, rushing over to intervene and putting distancing between the slayer and witch.

Buffy slowly backed off and put her stake down, keeping her gaze on the red-haired girl.

Willow breathed a sigh of relief. "Buffy, what's the matter with you? And what happened to your lip?"

Buffy subconsciously brushed the scar above her lip with her finger, but didn't answer.

"Willow, this is not our Buffy," Giles explained. "This _is_ Buffy, just a Buffy from another reality."

Willow quickly gained her composure, feeling wary of the slayer's gaze on her. "Oh…okay. Wow, good thing I live in Sunnydale, otherwise I might find that comment really bizarre." She looked over Buffy's shoulder, seeing Angel keeping his distance. "Angel?"

"That's not our Angel either," Giles said.

"So wait, she's _not_ a vampire?" Buffy asked.

"No," Angel said, finally walking over to where the others stood. He had kept his distance from Willow until he was sure. "She smells human."

Willow's eyes grew wide again, staring at Buffy and then Angel. "So wait, you guys both thought I was a…_vampire_?"

Buffy shrugged. "Well, yeah. You were, at least where we come from."

Willow thought back to the spell she and Anya had performed earlier that evening, remembering the bizarre flashes in her mind. She had actually saw herself as a vampire in one of those flashes…

"Uh-oh."

Giles looked at Willow sharply. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like what you're about to say?"

"Uh, Giles? I'm not certain, but I think I might know how this little mix-up happened."

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><p>Giles set a volume in front of Buffy, which earned a glare from her. "Research is <em>your<em> job. I don't research. I _fight_."

"Yes, well here in this reality, you fight…_and research_." Giles placed another book on the table in front of her, signaling it was the end of the discussion. Buffy rolled her eyes and cracked open the first book.

"What was the name of the Endless One again?" Angel asked.

"Eryishon," Willow answered.

Angel nodded, returning to his book. It seemed so odd to carry on such a normal conversation with the girl who wore the face of his nightly tormentor. It was a shame what happened to her…she seemed like a pretty decent human in this reality.

"I'm really sorry, Giles," Willow said as she took a seat next to the watcher. "I didn't intend for this to happen."

"Well that's often the outcome of practicing magic in which you have no good understanding of. Unintended consequences happen."

"Then it's a good thing she screwed it up," Buffy said. "Instead of this Anya chick getting her necklace back, she got us instead."

Giles nodded. "That is indeed fortunate. This could have been a lot worse. We still need to reverse this spell though."

"I'm sorry, Giles," Willow apologized again.

Giles looked away from his book and turned to Willow. "Willow, I'm not upset with you, and I don't mind that you have an interest in magic. You just need to be careful from now on, otherwise things could easily get out of hand."

Willow nodded. "I understand."

"Now, the question is this," Giles said, looking across the table at Buffy and Angel. "If not the necklace, then how did this spell bring you two into this reality?"

"Well they did interrupt the spell," Willow offered. "The other Buffy and Angel I mean."

The library door swung open, and Xander walked in. "Oh, we're researching? What are we're researching?" Looking at the table, he was surprised to see that Buffy and Angel were there. "Buff, how did you two get here before me?"

Buffy pushed her chair away so forcefully that it fell behind her as she ran over to Xander, stake pointed outward, and grabbed Xander by the collar. "He's evil, right?"

Willow and Giles were on their feet and immediately intervened, holding Buffy back before she could do any harm.

"He's one of us, Buffy!" Willow shouted.

Xander looked at the three of them, wide-eyed. "Okay, someone want to tell me what the hell's going on?"

"Xander, this is Buffy from an alternate reality," Giles said, nodding toward Buffy. He let go of her arm, assured that she wouldn't bring the boy any harm now. "Please do try to refrain from staking anyone else."

"Alternate reality? Well, that would explain the difference in appearance."

"You know that new girl? Anya? She and I did a spell. It went a little haywire."

"Yeah, I'll say," Buffy muttered as she made her way back to the table. She put her chair upright and sat down again.

"And Angel?" Xander glanced at the vampire, then looked to Giles and Willow.

"Alternate reality," Willow said.

"Does this 'alternate reality Angel' have a soul too?"

Angel looked up from his book, glaring at the boy, but made no comment. He didn't like the boy's tone.

"He's fine," Willow said.

"Xander, did you say you saw Buffy?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, a little while ago. She and Angel were at the Bronze helping Oz unload his van for a gig."

"Go find them and tell them to come here," Giles said.

Xander nodded. "You got it, G-Man."

"Oh, and Xander?"

Xander paused at the door, turning back to the watcher. "Yeah?"

"If you see Anya, bring her too."

* * *

><p>"I can't wait to see this," Buffy said as she and Angel followed Xander into the school. Xander had filled them in on their alternate counterparts on the way there. "What's she like?"<p>

Xander shrugged. "I didn't really talk to her much, you know, with the way she nearly killed me and all. But she looked a lot different."

"Different how?"

"See for yourself."

Xander held the door open as she and Angel made their way inside.

At the table, Giles looked up from his book. "Buffy. Good, you're here."

But Buffy's eyes were focused on the two new people sitting at the table: the alternate version of herself, and the one of her boyfriend. "This is so weird."

Cleveland Buffy stood up from her chair, walking over to the identical version of herself and staring at her up and down, like her own twisted version of _The Parent Trap_. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"Like looking in a mirror," Buffy said. Although not exactly like a mirror. Now that she could see her doppelganger up close, she realized there were stark differences, namely the clothing and prominent scar above her lip.

Angel glanced at the other Buffy, sensing a deep sadness behind her eyes. He wondered what kind of world she had come from.

Cleveland Buffy caught his gaze, then examined him up and down. "Wow, so this is what you really look like," she said, then turned her attention to the Angel still sitting at the table. "You clean up nice."

Angel walked over to the table, staring at this alternate version of himself. As bad as he thought he had it sometimes, he could tell this version of himself had suffered far worse. "This is really strange," he said, taking a seat across from his alternate self.

Wishverse Angel nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Hi," Buffy said, smiling at the identical version of her boyfriend.

He looked up and smiled brightly. _And this is what Buffy really looks likes_, he thought to himself. "Hello."

"Is anyone else getting a hankering for some double-mint gum?" Xander asked no one in particular.

"So," Buffy said, pulling out the chair between Angel and Giles. "Xander said this had something to do with Willow and Anya's spell?"

Giles nodded. "Yes. Willow mentioned she had some sort of…bizarre flashes during the spell. I believe she was seeing directly into this alternate universe in which this Buffy and Angel came from."

Willow's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Hey, you don't think the vampire version of me is out there somewhere, do you?"

Cleveland Buffy shook her head. "There was no one else in the factory but us. I think we were the only ones."

Willow thought for a moment, then turned to Angel and Buffy. "I just thought of something. When you guys interrupted us, you two didn't touch any of the sacred sand by chance, did you?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Actually, I think we did," Angel said. "I remember seeing Anya holding an open container. Some could have easily spilled out when she turned around. We were standing right there. It must have touched us."

"And there was sand on the floor," Willow added.

"Well, that answers the question of how we got here," Cleveland Buffy said.

Giles took off his glasses and reached for his handkerchief again. "Now, we just need to find out a way to help get you back."

Cleveland Buffy stared at Giles from across the table. "You sure clean your glasses a lot. Do you know that?"

"I'm here!" Wesley announced, walking into the library. "And could someone please tell me what was so urgent that I had to get here right away?"

Cleveland Buffy left the table and rushed over to him. "Wes! How did _you_ get here?"

Wesley, confused, straightened his tie and cleared his throat. "I…er…walked?"

"No, I meant how did you get _here_ in Sunnydale? And so fast!"

Wesley shook his head, still confused.

Buffy rushed over to her identical counterpart. "Wait a sec! You know Wesley?"

"Well of course I do," Cleveland Buffy answered. "He's my watcher."

Wesley's eyes grew wide at the sight of two Buffys standing in front of him, and he straightened his glasses. "Am I…dare I say, going crazy? Or am I seeing double?"

Buffy smiled. "You're not crazy. And yes, you are seeing double."

"Oh, so wait, this isn't my watcher Wesley?" Cleveland Buffy asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No, he's my watcher."

"I thought Giles was your watcher." She looked behind her and glanced at Giles at the table.

"Giles is my former watcher. Wesley is my present watcher. It's sort of…complicated."

"Um…what precisely is going on?" Wesley asked, still wide-eyed and confused.

"Alternate reality," Giles answered.

"You're a Buffy from an alternate reality?" Wesley asked, looking to Cleveland Buffy. Now that the two Buffys were standing side by side, the differences were quite apparent.

Cleveland Buffy nodded. "Yeah, looks like it."

"The alternate version of my boyfriend is here too," Buffy said, nodding behind her at the two Angels sitting at the table. "Lucky me, right?" she joked, grinning.

_Boyfriend? _Cleveland Buffy looked at her counterpart for a moment, surprised by this turn of events, but said nothing.

"Never a dull moment here in Sunnydale, huh, Wes?" Xander asked.

"No, I believe not," Wesley said, shaking his head as he joined the group at the table.

Cleveland Buffy pulled Buffy aside to speak to her privately. "Angel's your _boyfriend_?"

"Yeah, but our relationship is sort of complicated though."

"Yeah, I'll say. He's a vampire, and you're a slayer. It goes against every rule in the book."

"I know, but he's a good man, and he's saved my life more than once." She gazed at the table, watching as the two Angels conferred together over a book in front of them. "I don't think I'll ever love anyone else as much as I love him."

Buffy smiled at her, and Cleveland Buffy wondered what happiness like that actually felt like. She supposed she'd never know.

"Come on," Buffy said, taking her hand. "Let's go see if we can help them out."

"I'm not one for research."

Buffy moved her head to whisper in her ear. "Neither am I. I just…you know, fake it."

Cleveland Buffy laughed softly.

Angel glanced up at Buffy as she returned to the table. "You two seem to be getting along already," he said.

"I could say the same for you." She looked at the other Angel and smiled. "So, what are we searching for?"

"Two things," Giles said. "One, we need to find a way to reverse the spell, and two, we need to find out everything we can about Anyanka."

"Anyanka?" Buffy asked.

"You know her as Anya," Giles explained. "She's a vengeance demon, or ex-demon rather. I surmise she's lost her powers and is anxious to get them back. In any case, we need to undo whatever it is Anya did so that Buffy and Angel can return to their reality."

"Home sweet home," Cleveland Buffy said sarcastically.

"What's your world like?" Buffy asked.

"In our world, Buffy never came to Sunnydale," Wishverse Angel said. "She went to Cleveland instead. Meanwhile, things in Sunnydale got worse without her."

"Oh. Wow, we almost moved to Cleveland," Buffy said softly.

Wesley turned to Buffy. "Is that so?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Mom had two job offers before we moved. It was either here or Cleveland. I wanted to stay in California to be closer to my father, so we moved here."

"And you, on the other hand, chose Cleveland instead?" Wesley asked, turning his attention to Cleveland Buffy.

"Well, I didn't really want to move to Cleveland," she replied. "But the job paid more and I could tell Mom really wanted it. I think she wanted to be closer to her sister too."

"Fascinating."

"I don't think there's anything fascinating about it," Cleveland Buffy snapped. "People died because of that decision!"

"Sunnydale was a nightmare with Buffy not there," Wishverse Angel added.

"I apologize," Wesley said, looking embarrassed. "What I meant to say is that it's quite interesting how one person can have two dramatically different outcomes, all depending on one small choice. And in fact, I think what we have is a clear example of the butterfly effect."

"Oh, you mean like in time travel!" Xander said. "If you change something, the future's altered?"

"It's the theory that one small change can result in large differences. I'd say the moment of divergence occurred when Buffy left Los Angeles. With one moving to Sunnydale and the other to Cleveland, and you can see there are differences between the two. Different lives. Different worlds."

"Oh god, here we go again," Cleveland Buffy mumbled, her head resting on her hands. "You're even boring in this reality."

"I'm merely explaining a theory," Wesley replied.

"You know, it's interesting that the other Buffy moved to Cleveland," Giles said. "Interesting because there happens to be a hellmouth there as well."

Several eyes looked at Giles in surprise.

"Really?" Buffy asked. "I didn't know there were two of them."

"Oh there's more than just two," Wesley said. "In fact, there are several more in Europe. There's one in Rome, one in Glasgow…even one in Transylvania."

"I bet that one's pretty active," Xander joked.

"There's only two here, right?" Buffy asked.

Giles nodded. "Yes, Sunnydale and Cleveland, although Los Angeles and New York are hot spots as well, but that's mostly due to the population of those cities."

"Wow, I didn't think there could be much action in Cleveland," Buffy scoffed. "I mean, really, what's in Cleveland?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Cleveland Buffy said.

"Hey, Giles? I think I found something," Willow said. She handed Giles a book open to a page in the middle.  
>"It's the spell Anya and I did."<p>

Giles studied the page for a moment, frowning as he browsed the text. "Hmm. A little advanced for your level." Giles raised an eyebrow at Willow.

"I know. Believe me, I know. It wasn't just some temporal fold. It was a portal into a hell world. She wanted that necklace back pretty bad."

"May I?" Wesley asked, indicating the book, and Giles pushed it over to him. He studied it briefly before looking up at the older watcher. "Well, if this is the spell, how do we reverse it?"

No one seemed to have an answer for that.


	4. Almost Perfect Life

Cleveland Buffy looked across the table, seeing her doppelganger leaning against the other Angel's shoulder as he studied a book. His arm, meanwhile, seemed to be placed around her in a comfortable embrace.

_Her boyfriend._

Buffy yawned, and Cleveland Buffy watched as Angel looked down at her, quietly asking her if she was ready to call it a night.

They looked so comfortable together, so right, and she couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt. If she and Mom had just stayed in California, she would have had that.

"Angel and I are ready to call it a night," Buffy announced, pushing her chair from the table as she stood up.

Giles glanced at his watch. "Yes, of course. It is getting late."

With that, everyone rose from their chairs, placing all the books in the middle of the table in several neat little stacks.

"I'll call the Council in the morning," Wesley said. "Perhaps they can be of some assistance."

"That's a good idea," Giles agreed. "Meanwhile, I'll double check my collection at home. I may have some volumes that could be of use. And Buffy?"

Both Buffys looked at Giles, bringing a smile to the watcher's face. He'd realize he'd have to come up with some way to address them. "Uh…Sunnydale Buffy. See if you can find Anya."

Buffy nodded. "I'm on it. I'll track her down tomorrow."

"I'll help," Xander offered. "You know, if you need backup."

"I'll help too," Willow said. "I feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn't done that spell with her in the first place…"

Buffy walked over to Willow. "Will, this is _not_ your fault. Anya took advantage of you. You're just so nice and trusting that you couldn't have possibly suspected she had an ulterior motive."

Instead of the words making Willow feel better, the sad look remained on her face. "I guess I really am a doormat, huh? I let Anya take advantage of me, I let Percy bully me into doing his homework…"

"Will, I didn't mean it like that."

"No, it's okay. I know I need to grow a backbone and stand up to people. I'm just not like you, Buffy. I don't have that in me."

"Sure you do," Cleveland Buffy said, overhearing their conversation.

Willow looked to Cleveland Buffy in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You seemed to be a pretty badass vampire in my world. Just channel that badass side of you. It's in there somewhere."

"She's right," Wishverse Angel agreed.

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Look," Buffy said, "you just need to march up to Percy and tell him that you're under no circumstances going to do his homework for him. He either buckles down and he does the work himself or he fails. His decision."

Willow smiled. "You're right. I'm going to do just that!"

"I saw Percy at the Bronze earlier," Xander said.

Willow gathered her books from the table. "Well that's perfect! I'm on my way to the Bronze anyway! I'm going to march over there, see how Oz's gig went, and then I'm going to give that jerk Percy a piece of my mind!"

"Way to go, Will," Buffy said, proud of her.

"Thanks, Buffy. And…other Buffy." Willow marched to the door, determined. "We'll see who's badass now!" she said before leaving.

"Well, you should all probably get home," Giles said to the rest of the group. "We'll research this again tomorrow."

"Buffy can stay with me," Buffy said, taking hold of her doppelganger's arm.

She smiled. "Thanks. Do you live far?"

"No, it's in walking distance. Mom and I live over on Revello Drive, just a few blocks away." Buffy smiled at her, but the smile faded when she noticed her counterpart's face had gone pale. "Hey, are you okay?"

Cleveland Buffy was quiet for a moment, then spoke in a soft, surprised voice. "Mom's here?"

"Well…yeah, of course she's here."

Cleveland Buffy bolted out of the library, the doors swinging behind her.

Buffy looked at the rest of the group, seeing they seemed just as shocked by Cleveland Buffy's reaction as she was. "I'll go after her."

Down the hallway, she was already walking through the double doors to outside, and Buffy ran to catch up with her, following her outside.

"Buffy!"

Her doppelganger kept walking, and Buffy quickly caught up to her. "Buffy, wait!"

Cleveland Buffy glanced at her, but continued to walk.

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked.

"I'm going to kill something," she replied, pulling a stake out of one of her many pockets.

"Angel and I already patrolled around here. You probably won't find much of anything lurking out here now."

Her doppelganger kept on walking.

"Of course, we can always patrol the area again. Never hurts to be thorough."

"I want to be alone," she replied. "I work_ alone_."

"No. I'm not going anywhere."

Cleveland Buffy glared at her. "Fine. Can you just be _quiet _then?"

Buffy didn't respond.

"Now, which way is the nearest cemetery?" she asked.

Buffy pointed left, and Cleveland Buffy headed in that direction.

They walked in silence for a while, finally reaching the graveyard, and Cleveland Buffy led the way as if she'd walked this cemetery a hundred times.

As Buffy had predicted, the graveyard was quiet. No vampires or demons in sight. And finally, Cleveland Buffy stopped, sitting down on the ground against a headstone.

"What's wrong with this place?" she complained. "In the other Sunnydale, you couldn't walk ten feet without bumping into a vampire!"

"That's actually kind of a good thing," Buffy said. "That this Sunnydale isn't like the other one, I mean."

Cleveland Buffy gripped her stake until her knuckles turned white.

Buffy, not waiting for an invitation, sat down beside her. "Look, I know what you're doing. Being angry is easier than being sad, so you lash out. Trust me, I've been there before."

"How could _you_ have been there before? Your life is perfect."

Buffy laughed. "'Perfect'? No, far from it. There's nothing about my life that's been perfect, trust me. A slayer's life is never easy, no matter which reality you live in."

A moment passed, and neither one said anything. Buffy finally broke the silence.

"What happened to Mom?"

"She died," Cleveland Buffy replied matter-of-factly.

"How?"

Cleveland Buffy turned to look Buffy in the eye. "A vampire. I couldn't save her in time."

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, that's life. You live, you die."

Buffy was curious to hear more of what happened, but from the look on her face, she could tell that was all she felt like sharing.

Buffy stood up, dusting the grass off her pants, and offered her hand. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Cleveland Buffy hesitated for a moment, then finally, took her hand.

"Look, I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but well, do you want to go home and see Mom?"

"And do what, totally freak her out? I know they say everyone has a double, but don't you think this is pushing it a bit?"

"She'll freak…at first. But once she gets over the shock, she'll be okay. Besides, she used to weird things happening now that she found out I'm a slayer."

"Wait, you're telling me that Mom actually_ knows_ about you being a slayer in this reality?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, she knows about it."

"And she's _okay _with it?"

"Well…I wouldn't go that far. She…accepts it. But she doesn't like it, or understand it."

"How did she take it when she found out?"

"Not so good. She kicked me out of the house. It was a really bad summer. But things are okay now. She still would prefer if I didn't slay though."

"Well at least she didn't send you to the psych ward again."

"I know, right? I got her to at least believe me this time. Of course it helped that I actually dusted one in front of her."

"Well, seeing is believing. Sometimes anyway."

"Or they just brush it off and live in denial," Buffy said with a laugh. "Come on, let's get out of this cemetery."

"Too bad there's no vampires around here. I really felt like kicking some ass."

Buffy stopped in her tracks, cringing as she turned around. "You didn't just say that, did you?"

"What? I wanted to hit something. I thought it might make me feel better."

"Oh, you'll get to hit something alright. I'm pretty sure you just jinxed us."

As if on cue, five vampires emerged from the shadows, growling at the two slayers.

"You had to say something," Buffy muttered, but her comment fell on deaf ears as her twin launched herself into the fight, punching one vampire, then another.

The three other vampires set their sights on Buffy. One of them leered at her.

"Two slayers? Don't know how it's possible, but I'm suddenly feeling very lucky."

Buffy's fist connected with his jaw, sending him back. She then turned her attention to the other two vampires, kicking one to send him flying back. She sought out the third vampire, only to realize seconds later that he was behind her.

"Hey!" Cleveland Buffy hollered, tearing him away from Buffy and slamming his body to the ground. She buried the stake into his chest.

As Buffy regained control and fought off the others, she realized the vampire count had now gone down to three.

Cleveland Buffy turned her attention back to the vampire she had been fighting seconds before, leaving Buffy with two against her. Buffy's fist aimed to connect to vampire number one's face, but the vampire ducked, avoiding the blow. Meanwhile, vampire number two grabbed her from behind and threw her down. Buffy landed on the ground with a thud, wincing at the pain in her hip. That would leave a bruise in the morning.

As she got her bearings, she saw vampires literally being thrown over her. Buffy slowly stood up, watching her doppelganger fighting the three vampires with little to no effort at all. She'd barely even worked up a sweat.

Realizing she had just been standing there, Buffy focused her attention back on the fight, taking hold of a vampire that Cleveland Buffy had pushed into a gravestone. They struggled for a moment, and somehow, Buffy ended up on the ground. Luckily, she had her stake handy.

As Buffy staked him, she realized the other two vampires were already dust as well.

Cleveland Buffy offered her hand, helping Buffy off the ground.

Buffy stood up, her jaw dropped as she stared at her twin. "Wow, you're a _really_ good fighter. Better than me, and you _are_ me!"

"I'm not that good."

"Are you kidding me? Five vampires just attacked us and you staked four of them!"

Cleveland Buffy shrugged. "Just got lucky I guess. So, which way is home?"

* * *

><p>"Buffy, is that you?" Joyce called from the kitchen.<p>

Buffy led Cleveland Buffy inside, closing the door behind them. "Yeah, Mom, it's me."

Joyce emerged from the kitchen, a glass in her hand, which she immediately dropped upon seeing her daughter, times two, standing by the door.

"Buffy? What's going—"

"Mom!" Cleveland Buffy threw herself into Joyce's arms, hugging her fiercely. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Joyce held on to her with a bewildered expression, eyeing the other woman who wore her daughter's face. "I'm…glad to see you too, honey. Glad to see…the both of you?"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Cleveland Buffy said, releasing her hold on her. "I know this must be weird for you. But it's just been so long since I've seen you."

Joyce sank down in the nearest chair, her legs weak from the shock. "I'm pretty sure when I gave birth to you, there was only one of you. I think I would have remembered if I had twins."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Buffy apologized, glancing at her identical self. "I guess I should have warned you."

"What's going on, Buffy?" Joyce looked at both girls, unsure of which girl she was addressing.

"I was cloned," she replied.

Joyce's eyes grew wide, and Buffy laughed.

"Mom, I'm kidding!"

Now that the apparent shock had worn off, Joyce studied both girls and immediately recognized which one was her daughter. Or were they both her daughters?

"Buffy, what is going on?" she asked again, her question directed to the Buffy on her right.

"Giles is trying to figure it out," she replied, deciding her mother didn't really need the specifics of Willow's spell. She was already confused enough. "But for now, Mom, meet Cleveland Buffy, a Buffy from an alternate universe."

"An alternate what? What am I living in? A science-fiction movie?"

Cleveland Buffy looked to her doppelganger. "I thought you said she knew about this stuff."

"She does. She's just in shock."

"Okay, let me make sure I've got this straight. You're Buffy?" She looked to Cleveland Buffy, shaking her head in confusion. "From another world?"

"Same world, different reality," Cleveland Buffy said.

"Okay," Joyce said, still trying to digest this new information. She then frowned, realizing she had been missing something. "Wait a minute…I'm confused. She's from another reality, but she's…from Cleveland?"

The two Buffys exchanged glances. It was going to take a while to help their mother understand.

* * *

><p>Once the confusion had been sorted out, Joyce was all too eager to wait on both her girls, deciding to make hot chocolate for them all.<p>

Cleveland Buffy smiled at her mother as she handed her a mug and sat down on the couch beside her. "Thank you. It's been so long since I've had your hot chocolate. You always put just the right amount of marshmallows in it."

Joyce smiled. "You're welcome."

"I've really missed you."

The smile on Joyce's face fell, as she realized how difficult this must be for her. "I'm so sorry your mother died, or I died rather. This is very confusing."

"Yeah, it is," Buffy agreed, watching them from her spot on the chair.

"You know, it's strange," Joyce said, "but I always wondered what it would be like in the back of my mind to have another daughter. It feels sort of like I have two now."

Cleveland Buffy smiled.

"So how long are you…visiting?" Joyce asked, unsure if visiting was really the right word to use.

She shrugged. "I guess whenever Giles figures out a way to send me and Angel back."

"Angel? What does he have to do with this?"

"Oh, right. Did I forget to mention there's another Angel too?" Buffy said with laughter in her voice.

* * *

><p>Angel led his alternate self into the mansion.<p>

"This is where you live now?" he asked, gazing around at the place. "What happened to the apartment?"

How could he explain? How could he explain that every time he thought of that place, all he could think of was making love to Buffy?

"It was just time to move on," he replied, moving over to the fireplace to start a fire.

He nodded, accepting the answer.

"I uh, imagine you probably want a shower and something to eat?"

His doppelganger smiled at him. "That would be great. I can't remember the last time I've had either."

Angel showed him where he could shower, then set aside an extra set of clothes for him, knowing they would fit just fine. Then, he showed him to the kitchen where he kept his blood supply. He had fortunately just stopped to the butcher's that morning and was well-stocked for a while.

An hour later, he emerged from the back room. He was freshly-showered, changed, and appeared to not be starving anymore. Angel put down his book and gave him a smile. "Feeling better?"

He nodded. "Much. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Wishverse Angel moved to the couch and sat down. Spotting the book next to him, he picked it up, glancing at the title. "I remember this book. It's good to see I still enjoy books in this reality."

"Buffy says I have too many of them," Angel replied with a laugh.

"Tell me about her."

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know. She just seems so…different in your reality. A little less rough around the edges."

A smile spread across his face. "She's like a bright light in a dark world."

"You have a relationship with her. I have to admit…I'm a little jealous."

"We have a relationship, yes. But nothing about our relationship has been easy."

"How so?"

"How much time do you have?"

* * *

><p>"Oh wow," Cleveland Buffy said, gazing into Buffy's closet. "I have missed this! Beautiful clothes!"<p>

"Okay, good, I was wondering about your taste in clothing."

"Vampire are attracted to bright colors, and I don't have a group of friends to help me fight like you do. It's just me alone. I have to do whatever I can to give me an edge." She selected a pink shirt to go along with the pants Buffy had loaned her. "Can I wear this?"

Buffy nodded. "Sure, wear whatever you want."

"This is so weird," she said, turning her back as she took off her shirt and put on the pink one. "I feel like I'm in Bizarro Land having a slumber party with the twin sister I never knew I had."

"You know what's funny?"

"What's that?" she asked as she climbed into the bed. Buffy scooted over to give her room.

"I always sort of wanted to have a sister. Being an only child, I never knew what it was like. It really does seem like for a moment, I have a twin."

Cleveland Buffy took the ponytail holder out of her long hair and undid her braid with her fingers. "Do you have a brush I could borrow?"

"Right there," Buffy said, nodding toward the brush on the nightstand.

"Thanks. So, what about Dad? What's he up to in this reality?"

"Oh, he's still in L.A."

"Still sleeping with his secretary?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds like he hasn't changed a bit."

"Dad and I don't really talk that much anymore. It's kind of ironic. Mom took the job in Sunnydale because it was two hours away from L.A. She thought maybe me and Dad could still be close, and so did I. But that just didn't happen. He's just too busy with work now. He didn't even take me to the Ice Capades on my last birthday."

"Dad and I don't talk either, but it's not just because of his work. We had a huge fight. After Mom died, he wanted me to move back to L.A., but I wouldn't go back. My life in L.A. was over. And besides, I couldn't exactly leave Cleveland. He said I was being difficult about the whole thing. Of course he didn't understand, but what was I going to say to him? Sorry, Dad, but I can't leave the Hellmouth? I'm the Slayer and I need to be there?"

"So what did you do after that?"

"I dropped out of school. Was on my own for a while. Focused on slaying. After Mom died, I think something inside me snapped. I sort of made it my own personal mission to kill every vampire in Cleveland and threw myself into slaying. Wes was thrilled of course. I still haven't got the one who killed her though. That's how I got the scar on my lip. From him. He's strong and he keeps getting away."

"Can I ask you something?"

Cleveland Buffy nodded.

"What exactly happened in Cleveland?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that, trust me. I wish I had your life. I know you said your life isn't perfect, but it's way better than mine."

"I don't know about that."

"What are you talking about? You have friends. You have Mom. You have a watcher who isn't so uptight all the time."

"We have the same watcher."

"Oh, right. I keep thinking Giles is your watcher. And you have a boyfriend too. So you see…your life? Pretty good compared to mine."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I should be grateful for everything I do have. But it hasn't been all fun and games, I can assure you of that."

"Tell me about Angel."

Buffy stared at her alternate self and smiled. "Do you want the unabridged version or the Readers' Digest?"

"Tell me everything. What's he really like? Do you really…trust him?"

Buffy nodded. "I do. Angel's good. You can trust him too."

"I never heard of a vampire who was good."

"I hadn't either. When I first met Angel, I didn't know he was a vampire. He was just this dark, gorgeous guy that always seemed to show up, giving me some cryptic advice before heading back into the shadows. I liked him, but he was sort of hard to figure out, and I never knew when I'd see him again. But whenever I did, I swear it felt like my heart would skip a beat."

"So when did you find out what he was?"

"This one night, I ran into this group of unusually brutal vampires. They even had a name. 'The Three'. Vampires sent by the Master himself in fact. It was close call, and Angel came to my rescue. The vampires gave us chase, and since my home was right around the corner, I thought we'd be safe there. So I invited him inside. I thought he was crazy at first, jumping in like that and fighting those vampires, not that I wasn't grateful for his help. I just assumed it was a vengeance thing for him. He had mentioned his family had been killed by a vampire. So then, he spent the night with me."

"He _spent the night_ with you?" Cleveland Buffy asked, wide-eyed.

Buffy laughed. "On the floor. He slept on the floor, and he was a perfect gentleman. And Mom didn't have a clue about it."

"So you found out he was a vampire when he stayed with you? Or after?"

"It was later that next day when I got home. Angel was still there. I saw my diary had been moved and I assumed he'd read it. Of course I'd written all about him. But he said he hadn't read it and that my mom was the one who moved it, and then I felt embarrassed for letting it slip how I felt about him, because it was obvious at that point. And then he said something about wanting to kiss me…and suddenly we were."

"Wow. Sounds like a good first kiss."

"It was, but unfortunately, that's when I found out what he was. He suddenly turned away from me like he didn't want me to see his face, and then I did. When I saw what he was, he jumped out the window and ran away."

"What did you do then?"

"I didn't know what to feel. For weeks he'd been this gorgeous guy who had been so…nice to me. A guy that I had actually started to like. A guy who saved my life. It didn't make sense that he could be a vampire. I thought maybe it was some kind of game he was playing to get close to me. But Giles assured me that there was nothing human about a vampire. So even though it was hard, I knew what I had to do."

"Kill him?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Only I couldn't. And then he told me about the gypsy curse, and he saved my life again. After that, we both sort of had an understanding between us. There was definite attraction between us, but we both knew it couldn't happen again."

Cleveland Buffy raised an eyebrow. "You two looked pretty close when I saw you together."

"Yeah. That's the second part to 'Angel' story. We tried to stay apart, only we couldn't. He stayed in Sunnydale, and he still helped me out from time to time. But the more time we spent together, the closer we grew."

Cleveland Buffy smiled. The story was getting good. "So how close did you get?"

"Close."

Buffy looked at her alternate self, seeing Cleveland Buffy staring at her intently, obviously wanting the details.

"There was this one night when Angel and I had another close call. It was raining, and we were wet, and somehow we ended up at his apartment. I guess because it was the closest safe place. We'd been dating for a while, and truth be told, I think both of us were thinking of taking it to the next level. I know I certainly was. I thought about it all the time. And then, before either of us knew it, one thing led to another, and finally, we did. Angel was my first…and only."

"What was it like?"

A smile came to Buffy's face. It was rare that she could think of that night and not feel sadness, but for the short time she had before her world changed, it had been the most wonderful night of her life. She looked at her alternate self, realizing she was hanging on to every word, and continued the story.

"Do you remember making out with Tyler in the backseat of his car after the football game?"

"Yeah."

"Way better than that."

Cleveland Buffy grinned. "That good, huh?"

"It was very…nice. Actually, nice probably isn't the right word. It was incredible. He kept kissing me and whispering that he loved me. And he was very gentle. I think he was worried about hurting me but it didn't really hurt at all. He didn't rush through it or anything. It was all just very…sweet. It was the best and worst night of my life."

"I knew this story was too perfect. What happened to ruin it?"

"It was Angel's curse. It has a loophole."

Cleveland Buffy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Angel was never supposed to be happy. When the gypsies cursed him, they intended for him to spend an eternity feeling sorry for all of the people he killed. The only thing that can break his curse is a moment of perfect happiness, and when he was with me, when we slept together, Angel had it."

"So the curse broke and he what…turned evil?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. It was hard. It was so hard." Buffy dabbed the corner of her eye with her finger, wiping away a tear threatening to fall. It was still difficult to think of that time in her life. "For months afterward, the man I loved so much, the man I gave my virginity to, spent every waking moment tormenting me. So you see, life hasn't exactly been a picnic for me either."

"That must have been incredibly difficult. But he looks fine now."

"He is. Willow restored his soul with a spell, but it wasn't easy. It took Angel and I a long time to recover from everything. Sometimes I think we're still trying to get past that time. Not only does Angel feel the guilt of everything he did before we met, but he now regrets everything he did to hurt me."

"So I guess now, you can't…"

Buffy shook her head. "No. After what happened before, we don't want to risk it again. Angel and I…well we have to be careful. We kiss sometimes, but we haven't slept together since."

"That really sucks, especially since he's, you know, really hot."

"Yeah, tell me about it."


	5. Premonition

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Sorry it took a while to get this chapter posted but it's been a busy week for me.**

**Also, I feel I should let you all know that there's only one more chapter to this. :( I know, so sad. But I did try to make this chapter a little longer to make up for it! ;)**

**Thanks for reading, as always, and I hope you enjoy the last two chapters! :)**

* * *

><p>Angel awoke, feeling well-rested, but disoriented. He couldn't understand why the floor felt soft, or why the ache in the pit of his stomach was gone. It was then he realized: he wasn't a prisoner anymore.<p>

At first, he had resisted being a prisoner, not wanting to go down without a fight. Every time the Master would taunt him, every time someone would torture him, he gave them as good as he got. But somewhere along the line, his spirit broke. And despite his optimism early on, feelings of dejection set it, and slowly, he began to accept defeat.

How different would things have been if Buffy had been there?

_Buffy._

She was so different in this reality, and his heart ached for the pain the Buffy he knew had obviously endured. He noticed the differences between them immediately, saw the pain and sadness in her eyes compared to the hope and joy he saw in the other. What caused a young woman who had once been so vibrant, so spirited, to become so hardened? Not unlike him, he figured, she had faced many hardships in life. He wished, and not for the first time, that he had been able to be there for her. Perhaps if he had, he could have prevented some of that pain.

Of course, he realized seconds later, while things had been better, it hadn't exactly been perfect for the Buffy of Sunnydale either, despite the fact that the other Angel had been there. In fact, his presence seemed to be the very reason for that.

_There's something you should know about your curse._

His doppelganger's words repeated in his mind, warning him of the dangers that came with being too close to Buffy.

_Perfect happiness._

He could see how Buffy would bring him perfect happiness. If he was completely honest himself, he'd felt a connection with her the moment he laid his eyes on her that day in Los Angeles.

But now, the question remained. Could he keep his distance from her, or would he too, inevitably, fall in love with her? And if so, how close of a perfect moment of happiness would he have to experience before he lost it all?

* * *

><p>While Buffy got ready for school, Cleveland Buffy quickly got dressed and waited for her identical counterpart in her room.<p>

In the corner of the dresser mirror was a photograph. She picked it up, giving it a closer look. It was a picture of her alternate self with the red-haired girl Willow and the boy Xander.

_Sunnydale Buffy had friends._

And not just that, but friends who _helped _her. They actually _understood_ her.

Buffy stared at the photograph a moment longer before putting it back. She had no friends. In Cleveland, when she'd still been attending school, she barely even talked to her other classmates, preferring to sit in the back of the classroom and skipping lunch so she wouldn't have to sit by herself.

She missed her friends at Hemery, but they had turned on her, thinking she was just as crazy as her parents when she started talking about vampires.

Over on the opposite side of the mirror was another photograph, a snapshot of her with Angel.

_Sunnydale Buffy had a boyfriend._

She flipped the photograph to the back out of curiosity, seeing "Buffy + Angel 4ever!" scribbled in her handwriting on the back. It had been a long time since she'd scribbled a boy's name alongside her own. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd _kissed_ a guy, though she was sure it had been before Cleveland.

There had been, though, one boy who'd asked her out in Cleveland, but Buffy turned him down. She had learned a long time ago that when you let people get close to your heart, you get hurt, and the pain just wasn't worth it. She wasn't going to lose anyone else she loved.

She had to admit though...Angel certainly wasn't bad on the eyes. She briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She wondered if maybe Buffy was right, that it was okay to trust him.

Buffy put the photograph back, then noticed the final picture on the dresser. This one was framed, and Buffy picked it up, running her finger along the glass covering her mother's face. She couldn't remember the picture, which meant it had to be one taken in Sunnydale.

_Sunnydale Buffy had her mother._

If she had known then that moving to Cleveland would have been such a huge mistake, she would have told her mother no. But instead, she'd nodded along, saying Cleveland was fine with her…

"_We're in this together, Buffy. It's Sunnydale or Cleveland. Where do you want to live?"_

She remembered the look on her mother's face. She wanted Cleveland, not Sunnydale. And who was she to put a damper on Mom's joy?

_She shrugged. "Wherever you want, Mom."_

She wished she had spoken her mind. She had wanted to stay in California. If they had moved to Sunnydale, her life could have been so much better. She'd have friends. She'd have a boyfriend. But most of all, she would still have her mother.

But Cleveland was her home, not Sunnydale, and her world was the one she had to live in. And more importantly, she had unfinished business there.

"I will avenge your death," she said, staring at her mother's face in the photograph. "I promise you."

"Buffy?" Buffy stood at the doorway, then immediately laughed. "I feel so weird talking to myself. Mom made waffles. Are you hungry?"

Cleveland Buffy placed the picture back on the dresser, then smiled. "Yeah. It's been forever since I've had her waffles."

"Come on," Buffy said, and Cleveland Buffy followed.

* * *

><p>Later that morning, Cleveland Buffy stood outside the mansion, dumbfounded. "You're kidding me, right? Angel <em>lives<em> here?"

"No joke," Buffy said as she let herself into the mansion. Cleveland Buffy trailed behind.

The main room was empty, and a bit chilly, despite the roaring fire in the fireplace. "Angel?" Buffy called out.

A few moments later, he emerged from the back room, and Buffy smiled, walking toward him. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, tilted her chin up, and kissed him on the lips.

Something about the kiss felt a little off though, and Buffy slowly pulled away, coming to the realization as she saw the man who wore her lover's face staring at her, bewildered. "I'm kissing the wrong Angel, aren't I?"

The corner of his mouth turned upward in a small smile. "Yeah."

Buffy blushed. "Oops." From over his shoulder, she saw _her_ Angel walking toward them. He was smirking at her, obviously having seen the whole thing.

Buffy walked past the other Angel and into the arms of the Angel she knew. "Sorry. At first glance, you two look so much alike. Hi."

"Hi," Angel whispered, laugher in his voice as he kissed her good morning.

Across the room, the other Buffy and Angel glanced at the lovebirds, then at each other in a moment of awkwardness.

"Did you uh…sleep well?" he asked her.

Cleveland Buffy nodded. "Yeah. You?"

"Probably the best night of sleep I've gotten in a while. It's not a cell, you know?"

She didn't know, but nodded anyway.

"So, is everything alright with her?" Angel asked Buffy quietly, nodding toward Cleveland Buffy. "She seemed pretty upset last night."

"Yeah, she's fine. She's just sort of been through a lot, you know? I thought maybe she could hang out here today. I have to go to school and it might raise a few questions if my doppelganger is hanging around."

Angel nodded. "That's fine."

"Are you sure you'll be alright here?" Buffy asked, looking at her alternate self.

Cleveland Buffy nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. Well, I'm going go. If I leave now, I might be on time for class."

Angel kissed her once more, seeing her out. "I'll see you later."

"See ya."

Angel closed the door behind her, then stared at the alternate versions of himself as well as his girlfriend. The moment undeniably…awkward. "So, can I get you anything?" he asked, his questioned directed to Buffy. The _other _Buffy.

Buffy walked around the front room, ignoring his question as she ran her hand along the mantle of the fireplace. "Why do you live here?" she asked, turning to Angel.

"It's as good a place as any."

"Wow. This place is a drag. I'm surprised the other me tolerates it. The only thing missing from this place are the gargoyle statues." Buffy suddenly squashed a spider with the palm of her hand.

"Actually, there are a few statues in the garden." Angel stared at this other Buffy, who seemed so different from his Buffy, sharing a moment of awkward silence. "I'm uh…going to go take a shower," he concluded, then left the room.

Buffy turned to the other Angel, shrugging her shoulders. "Was it something I said?"

"I sort of like it here," he finally said.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Figures. Must be a vampire thing."

* * *

><p>Buffy had brought a bagged lunch with her since she figured there'd be nothing to eat around Angel's place except for blood, not that she felt like eating that much anyway.<p>

She kept thinking about her mom and the tearful goodbye she had with her this morning. She knew in her heart that it would be the last time she would see her alive. At least, she thought, she had gotten to say goodbye to her. It offered her some sense of closure since she hadn't been able to say goodbye to her in Cleveland.

Buffy made her way into the main room. It was quiet, and she wondered where the two Angels were. Probably sleeping, she thought. They were vampires, and it _was _in the middle of the day. Buffy yawned, feeling like she could sleep herself, and curled up on the couch for a midday nap.

As she closed her eyes, she thought of Angel. Both Angels. She thought of the kiss Angel and Buffy shared this morning and remembered feeling embarrassed about it, as if she were a witness to a private moment. She wondered, and not for the first time, if things had been different and she _had_ moved to Sunnydale, would her life be just like the other Buffy's? Or would things have turned out differently? Maybe she would never know.

And what about Angel? Sure, he was good-looking, and yes, perhaps she could very well trust him, but she knew a relationship between them could never happen. She wasn't sure how the other Buffy did it. How did you love someone you could never completely have? And it wasn't just the part about the curse, but what about the fact that he was a vampire? Did the other Buffy really think she could have a relationship with someone more than 200 years older than her, someone who never aged while she meanwhile got all wrinkly?

Well, she wasn't one to judge, she decided. She had never been in love, didn't have a clue what that was like, and maybe love made you do crazy things. Buffy didn't know if she wanted that or not. Falling in love would mean letting someone in, and she wasn't sure her heart could take the pain. If you never let anyone close, you never got hurt, and that's how Buffy decided it should stay. Besides, even if she did have the opportunity to get to know Angel better, she knew of the consequences. It'd be hard to start a relationship with something as big as his curse looming over their heads.

Her thoughts remained on Angel, and her heart tugged at the sight of him on the floor behind bars, chained to the wall. She had never let a vampire help her fight before, and though she played it off like it didn't bother her, she had been absolutely terrified on the inside. But he had kept her promise, and he hadn't hurt her.

She remembered him leading her to the factory where the Master was, and she kicked herself for being such a suck-shot. If only she had fired her crossbow two seconds sooner, she would have nailed him. She replayed the fight over and over in her mind, what she could remember before she left that reality and came here. But instead of disappearing, the fight went on.

Vampires everywhere. Humans screaming. Blood on the floor.

Angel…dust.

And then, she felt his hands, more like claws with his long nails, wrap around her neck. She felt a snap, knowing her neck had just been broken, and her world went black…

"_Buffy? Buffy?"_

Buffy awoke with a gasp, seeing Angel sitting by her with a concerned look on his face. It took her a moment to realize which Angel this was. It wasn't the Angel from her reality. It was the other Buffy's Angel.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

Buffy nodded. "Just had a dream, that's all."

"I heard you from the other room. It sounded like something was wrong."

"I'm fine," Buffy said, brushing off her feelings of embarrassment. "Sometimes I talk in my sleep. The dreams can feel pretty real, you know?"

Angel nodded.

Buffy stood up. "I'm going to go splash some water on my face."

"Are you sure it was just a dream? You seem more than a little upset."

"It was just a dream," she said, then turned away to leave the room.

But it hadn't been just a dream. It had been a premonition.

She was going to die.

* * *

><p>The bathroom door was open, and she found the Angel from her reality inside.<p>

She watched him for a moment as he tore off a bloody gauze covering a wound on his chest.

"I thought you were asleep," he said, surprising Buffy who hadn't known he knew she was standing there watching him.

Buffy shrugged. "I was. What about you? Why aren't you sleeping? Aren't vampires nocturnal?"

Angel glanced at Buffy standing in the doorway. "Under normal circumstances, but I couldn't sleep. Besides, I have to change this anyway." He looked down at his chest, indicating the pieces of gauze in the first aid kit.

"Let me help," Buffy offered, surprising herself and Angel too as she stepped into the bathroom. "I have lots of experience when it comes to war wounds. Sit down."

Angel complied, sitting down on the edge of the counter as Buffy grabbed some antiseptic and fresh gauze from the kit.

They were silent for a moment as she cleaned his wounds, until Angel winced in pain and made a sound. Buffy looked up, apologetic. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"These wounds look really bad. I thought vampires healed fast."

"We do, but this has been going on for months. And vampires don't exactly heal well if they don't eat once in a while, just like humans."

"They didn't feed you? When you were held captive?"

"They fed me when they thought about it, which wasn't often."

Buffy looked up, raising an eyebrow at him. "So what did you eat when you were a prisoner? Did the guards bring you pig's blood?"

"No, they weren't that nice to me."

"Did you feed on humans?"

"Not exactly."

"What does 'not exactly' mean?"

"They gave me their leftovers. People who were dead or already dying. I resisted at first, but they were going to die anyway. I thought of it as putting them out of their misery."

"When's the last time you had blood?"

"Before last night? Maybe a few weeks? It's hard to remember to be honest."

"So when I found you, you were starving? You could have easily fed on me."

"I could have."

"But you didn't."

"I told you, I don't feed on humans. Not live ones, anyway."

"That must be hard for you."

"Hard for the demon within me? Sure. But my willpower is stronger."

Buffy placed the last piece of gauze on his chest. "There, I'm finished."

"Thank you."

Buffy nodded.

"You look different than before."

"Before when? Last night?"

Angel shook his head. "No. I mean different from two years ago. In L.A., you looked so timid, scared."

"I was."

"But now you're different. You've changed."

"Hard? Cold? Is that what you're thinking?"

"No. I was going to say you seem more confident about your abilities."

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think I'm that good," she said, then turned to walk away.

* * *

><p>Michael Czajak was taking a book out of his locker when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around, surprised to see that it was a girl.<p>

"Hi! Are you Michael?"

"Um…yeah."

"Anya," she said, pointing to herself.

"Oh right. The new girl."

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I heard a little rumor that you're some sort of mega warlock. Is that true?"

"I know a few things, yeah." Michael frowned, suddenly wary. "Why?"

Anya smiled. "It just so happens that I dabble in a little witchcraft myself. You see, I'm working on this spell, but I need a secondary to help me create a temporal fold. If you're not doing anything after school, do you think you might have time to help me out?"

"Okay, that's enough, Anya," Buffy said.

Anya turned around, seeing Buffy standing behind her, arms crossed. "_You_ again!" Anya looked next to her, seeing Xander beside her. "Oh, and I see you let your annoying friend tag along too."

"Michael, whatever she's asking you to do, don't do it." Buffy glared at Anya. "She's up to no good."

Michael nodded, unsure of what was going on, but grateful to get out of this awkward situation. "I've got to get to class," he announced and walked away.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Anya complained. She started to walk away, but Buffy ran to stand in front of her while Xander blocked her from behind.

"You're not going anywhere," Buffy said with a smile.

"Except for the library," Xander said. "Lucy, you've got some 'splainin to do!"

* * *

><p>Willow, who had a free period, sat across the table from Giles and Wesley in the library with Oz joining them as well. Willow had hoped that by now, at least one of them would have found a way to reverse the spell she and Anya had done, but so far, no luck.<p>

"Here's something…" Giles suddenly announced, causing Willow to look up from her own book.

"What did you find?" she asked.

"It says here that…wait a second. No." Giles closed the book in defeat. "It wasn't exactly what I was looking for after all."

"What about the Council?" Oz asked, looking at the younger watcher. "Can't they help?"

"I've called them already," Wesley replied, "But unfortunately, they were of no help. They said I should figure this out on my own. As long as no one's dying, they won't intervene."

"We really need to find Anya," Giles said.

"Maybe I could do a locator spell," Willow offered. "Should I try it?"

"That won't be necessary, Will," Buffy announced, walking into the library with the very girl in question in tow. "Look who we found in the hallway."

"And hitting up Michael for help with a spell," Xander added.

"Get your hands off me!" Anya snapped, trying but failing to yank her arm away from Buffy's grasp.

"You gonna bolt?" Buffy asked.

"No, I'm not going to bolt! Just let me go! You're hurting me!"

Buffy reluctantly released her grip on Anya's arm, and breathed a sigh of relief when she kept her promise not to run off.

Giles walked over to Anya, smiling at the ex-vengeance demon. "Now that you're here, you'll tell us about that spell. And I suggest you tell us everything."

"Tell you what? It was just a simple spell!"

"A 'simple spell'?" Willow scoffed, pushing her chair away from the table and marching over to Anya. "That was no 'simple spell'! It was something very, very dark! What was that, Anya? All I saw was a hell world!"

"I was only trying to get back my necklace!"

"In _Hell_?" Willow asked.

Oz, who stood beside Willow, reached for her hand, calming her down.

"What Willow's trying to say," Buffy said, "is that your spell _did_ bring back something. Or someone I should say. Two someones actually."

Anya frowned. "I don't understand."

"Your spell brought me and Angel here, or at least, our alternate versions. From the hell world, or wherever."

Anya stared at her for a moment, then nodded as the realization dawned on her. "Oh, right. It must have been because you two interrupted it."

"Ya think?" Buffy asked.

"Well? What do you want me to do about it?"

Buffy moved closer to Anya, her face inches from hers. "You're going to fix it."

* * *

><p>"You can take your hands off me now!" Anya yelled as they arrived at the mansion. Xander loosened his hold on her.<p>

Both Angels, hearing the commotion, greeted the group in the front room.

"Hey, Angel," Willow said. "Angel," she said to the other one. "We're ready to do the spell to send you and Buffy back."

"Well we have a slight problem," Angel said.

Buffy frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Buffy's disappeared," Wishverse Angel answered.

"Disappeared? Well when did you guys see her last?"

Angel glanced at his alternate before turning back to Buffy. "Well, I saw her last this afternoon. She'd been taking a nap for a while and had a bad dream. She said she was going to splash some water on her face and I didn't see her after that."

"And I think I must have saw her shortly after that," Wishverse Angel added. "We talked for a while and then she left. I didn't see where she went. I assumed she'd gone for a walk. She hasn't come back though."

"Well I guess you won't be needing my help tonight after all," Anya said, turning around to leave.

"Not so fast," Wesley warned, blocking the door.

"I'm not afraid of you," Anya retorted, but didn't make any more attempts to leave.

"Well where could she have gone?" Giles wondered aloud.

"Maybe she decided to take a walk through a graveyard?" Xander suggested.

Buffy shook her head. "No, I don't think so. She was supposed to stay here until we came back."

"And it's not fully dark yet," Willow added.

Buffy turned to Angel. "You said she had a bad dream? Did she say what it was about?"

Angel shook her head. "No, she seemed reluctant to talk about it, and I didn't press her."

"I don't get it. Can't you two just track her down?" Xander asked, looking at the two Angels. "I thought vampires were supposed to have some superior sense of smell."

"We do," Angel answered. "But tracking her is a little difficult when there's two of them and her scent's everywhere around here."

"Let me look around then," Buffy said. "I know her probably better than anyone else here. I might have an idea where she went."

* * *

><p>It was twilight, and below the bluff, Cleveland Buffy could see the valley for miles below. She sat on the edge, watching as little yellow dots appeared below as night fell. It would be dark soon. And soon enough, the vampires would come out from their daytime hiding places.<p>

"I took a guess I'd find you here," Buffy said, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned to look at her twin and then back to the valley as Buffy sat down beside her.

"It's a nice view, huh?"

She didn't respond.

"So hey, we're ready to send you and Angel back."

"I know. I figured it was time."

Her voice sounded so empty, and Buffy looked on, concerned. "You okay?"

"I don't want to leave here."

"Angel said you had a bad dream earlier."

"More like a premonition." She turned to Buffy, a somber expression on her face. "The Master will kill me tonight." She turned her attention back to the skyline.

"Maybe not," Buffy offered.

"No, I'm going to die. You know, it's strange, but after Mom died, I wasn't scared of dying anymore. I didn't have much to live for after that anyway. No one close to me to keep safe. No place to come home to. I became fearless. Arrogant. I was eager to rush into any situation, no matter what the danger level was. I did everything on impulse and improvised along the way. And if I died? So what? Another slayer would be born and I wouldn't have to do it anymore."

"And now?"

Cleveland Buffy turned to Buffy, giving her a half-hearted smile. "And now, I realize there's so much in life I haven't experienced yet, and that maybe I do have something to live for after all. Looking at you, it gives me hope that maybe I could have a better life. Maybe one day, I could have friends, friends who support me, and _help_ me, rather than ones who turns their backs on me. Maybe one day, someone will love me, will accept me, just the way I am. Maybe even one day, I'll go on a shopping spree and throw out every piece of camouflage in my closet. But if I die? I'll never know."

"You're not going to die."

"You know what makes me really angry? More than the fact that I could miss out on so many things? It's that the vampire that killed Mom is still out there. And when I die, I'll never be able to avenge her death. I would have failed. I've already failed. I'll never kill him now."

"You _will_ kill him. And you'll kill the Master."

"You don't know that."

"But I do. I know what it's like to go through a seemingly impossible situation and come out on the other side. When I moved to Sunnydale, I was ready to give up slaying, but I couldn't ignore my calling forever. I had to go up against the Master, just like you, and I was terrified. And I knew I was going to die as well."

"You had a dream too?"

"I had dreams, sure, but more importantly, I had a prophecy. It said I would die at the hands of the Master, and it was right. I did die. But I still won in the end."

Cleveland Buffy gave her a look. "Unless you're a ghost, you're not dead."

"No, of course I'm not dead. But he _did_ kill me. He drowned me. Technically for a minute, I _was_ dead. If it hadn't been for Angel and Xander, I would have stayed that way. Xander gave me CPR, and I was revived."

"So the prophecy came true."

"Yeah, but not in the way I thought it would."

"So how did you kill the Master?"

"I surprised him. He let his guard down. If you want to kill the Master, the element of surprise is your best bet."

Cleveland Buffy looked away, staring at all of the twinkling lights below. "I don't know if I can change what's going to happen."

"But don't you see, Buffy? You _can._ You heard what Wesley said, right? One small change? It can result in a completely different outcome. Do something different this time around. Surprise him."

"Element of surprise, huh?"

"Improvising is still good too."

"Do you think when Angel and I go back, it would be possible for us to return at an earlier point in time? Say before we're in the middle of fighting?"

"I guess, I don't know. Why?"

Cleveland Buffy smiled. "Because, I suddenly have an idea."

* * *

><p>Back at the mansion, they found everyone waiting for them.<p>

"I found her," Buffy announced. "She was just outside getting some fresh air."

"So, I guess this is it, huh?" Cleveland Buffy said, looking around at the group. Her eyes settled on Angel, her Angel, from across the room.

"If you're ready," Giles began, nodding to the circle of candles in the center of the room.

"Wait!" Buffy said, holding Cleveland Buffy's arm. "I just want to say goodbye first."

Giles nodded, and Buffy pulled her doppelganger aside for a moment.

Across the room, Angel watched the two Buffys whispering quietly, then turned to his own doppelganger. "Take care of her. She's strong, and she's tough, and she'll kick your ass in a heartbeat. But she needs someone to watch her back every now and then, even if she won't admit it."

Wishverse Angel nodded. "I'll keep an eye on her," he promised.

Buffy reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. "One more thing. I have something I wanted to give you."

"What's this?" she asked, taking the paper from her.

"Take a look."

Cleveland Buffy unfolded the paper and scanned it. "'Restoration Spell'. What is this?"

"Look, I know I warned you about what would happen if Angel lost his soul. But just in case…if something ever happens. If anything happens to him and he turns evil again, this is the spell to bring him back. Everything you need is written here, and you can find most of those items at any magic shop."

Cleveland Buffy smiled, placing the paper in her pocket. "Thank you. I'll be sure to keep this in a safe place."

"I'm going to miss you."

"Me too."

The two Buffys hugged each other, until Giles cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Buffy?"

"Yes?" They answered in unison.

Giles smiled. "Both Buffys. I think we're ready now."

"Home sweet home," Cleveland Buffy quipped as she and Buffy joined both Angels, Giles, and Anya on the floor in a circle.

"Don't you try any tricks now, dear," Giles warned Anya.

"I don't need tricks. When I get my powers back, you will all grovel before me!"

"Hey, demon girl?" Cleveland Buffy said, staring at Anya. "What's your name? Anya?"

"In this form," she said with a roll to her eyes.

"When you send us back, send us back a little earlier in time. Can you do that?"

Wishverse Angel shot her a confused look.

"Well of course I could do that," Anya said with a huff. "I'm not an amateur." She glanced at Willow across the room, and Willow shifted on her feet nervously.

Cleveland Buffy smiled. "Good. So let's do this."


	6. Welcome To The Future

**A/N: Here it is, everyone. Last chapter! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy it! :)**

* * *

><p>Buffy took in her surroundings, realizing she was back at the club. Her crossbow was fortunately back too. "Wow, that actually worked."<p>

"Yeah, a little too well," Angel said from behind the bars, giving his chains a shake. "A little help?"

Buffy kicked the cell door open just as she had before and went to work at releasing Angel, being mindful of her cross necklace this time.

"So why did you want to return earlier?"

"Because, it's the Master. I realized we can't just go in there with guns blazing. We need to have a plan."

The chains fell to Angel's side, and he stood up, thankful to have more energy this time around. Amazing what a little blood in his system could do. "Okay, so what's your plan?"

"We need some supplies."

"You mean weapons?"

"No, chains. Know where I can find some?"

Angel did, showing Buffy where there was a stash of them. Mostly since he had been prisoner for so long, he knew where they were kept.

He watched with curiosity as she gathered the chains.

"I don't understand. What are you going to do?"

"Kill the Master and his minions, that's what. Come on, we've got to hurry."

As they passed a pool table on their way out, Buffy grabbed a discarded book of matches. "Perfect. I knew I'd find one of these around here."

The realization dawned on him. "You're going to set the factory on fire."

Buffy gave him a smile. "How'd you guess? Now, help me get some gasoline?"

* * *

><p>A little while later, they left the gas station across the street, armed with several red containers of gasoline.<p>

"Don't you think this is a little dangerous?" Angel warned.

"For the vampires? Hell yeah. That's the point."

"I meant for the humans inside."

"Don't worry, we'll make sure they get out first." She glanced sideways at Angel, who still wore a worried expression on his face. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I know what I'm doing. This isn't exactly my first rodeo. Besides, compared to the gym at Hemery High? This is going to be a breeze."

Once they reached the factory, Buffy headed for the back entrance. But instead of going inside, she began to padlock the door handles with the chains.

"That's not going to hold a vampire back, you know."

Buffy gave Angel an annoyed look. "I know that. But it'll slow them down. Look, let me handle the doors. You take those containers of gasoline. Spread it around the perimeter of the building."

As Angel poured the gasoline around the factory, Buffy moved on to the side door and padlocked it the same as the other. As she wrapped the chain around the handle one more time for good measure, Angel appeared at her side.

"It's done," he said, indicating the empty containers of gasoline which he threw on the ground.

Buffy stood up, adjusting the crossbow on her shoulder. "Good. Ready to go kill some vamps now?"

Angel nodded, then silently followed Buffy to the front of the factory.

"Listen," she said, looking back at him, "When we get in there, focus on getting the humans out. If someone gets in your way, kill them of course, but we need to get them out before I can do any real damage."

"And what about the Master?"

Buffy took in a deep breath. "Leave the Master to me."

* * *

><p>Inside the factory, the room was thick with fear.<p>

And hunger.

As Buffy and Angel silently made their way inside, the sound of a young girl screaming echoed throughout the room. Buffy nodded at Angel, and he nodded back, silently making his way over to the cages where the humans were trapped, his hand poised over the handle.

Buffy quietly moved through the crowd, the vampires not noticing the slayer among them as their attention was focused on the contraption the girl was trapped in.

Too late for the girl. Unfortunate. But not too late for the rest of them.

Buffy observed the Master and waited for the moment when he would be distracted. She had miscalculated before, firing her weapon a second too late. This time around, she wasn't going to waste any time on making the kill. Buffy aimed her crossbow at the Master.

What did Wesley say?

_Keep your eye on the target…_

She wasn't going to miss this time.

The Master smiled at his followers, holding up his glass of blood for a toast. "Welcome to the fut—"

Buffy fired her weapon, interrupting his toast and hitting the Master square in the heart. His face contorted in agony as his wine glass crashed to the floor, blood spilling all over. Finally, the Master collapsed, his body turning to skeleton before all their eyes.

A hush fell over the crowd as the vampires all eyed the newest arrival, and Buffy barely had time to wonder why the Master turned into a skeleton instead of dust before all hell broke loose.

Several vampires rushed her, causing her to lose grip of her crossbow. She wasn't completely helpless though, and she fought back, kicking one, kicking another. Her stake found its way into the chest of one vampire charging toward her, and her fist found its way into another's jaw, knocking him back.

With the vampires distracted, Angel had released the prisoners, instructing them to get out through the front door. They had no problems following directions, with several of them already making a beeline to the door.

"Uh-oh," Vamp Willow said. "Puppy got out."

A vampire turned his attention to Angel, but Angel fought him off, grabbing hold of the smaller vampire and pummeling the vampire's face with his fist.

Meanwhile, Buffy had her hands full with a group of vampires. She was surprised to see one of the prisoners, a red-haired boy, attack one of them with a broken rail from the wooden cage.

"You need to get out of here!" Buffy yelled to him.

But he and another teenaged boy ignored her, throwing themselves into the fight. The dark-haired one grabbed Vamp Willow, and with the help of his friend, they shoved her against a sharp piece of wood on the cage, turning her to dust.

Buffy shrugged, decided she had other pressing issues to worry about than a couple of teenagers that wanted to help, and grabbed Xander, plunging her stake into his chest. He may have been Buffy's friend in the other reality, but here, he was dead.

"Buffy, look out!" Angel called, but too late as a vampire grabbed her from behind.

Angel charged toward them, pulling the vampire away from her and staking him before he did any harm.

"We need to get them out of here!" Buffy said, pointing to the two humans that remained here. Live ones, anyway. Not all of the teenagers made it, but there was nothing they could do about it now.

"Come on!" Angel urged, pushing them toward the door. "Time to get out of here!"

They'd seem reluctant to stop the fight, but quickly complied and made their way out of the factory.

Angel glanced behind him, seeing Buffy hadn't followed them. He had just been about to go back inside when Buffy came rushing out, three vampires on her heels. She slammed the door behind her and held it closed, holding the vampires back as best she could.

"Angel, help me!"

Angel was already at her side, throwing his weight against the door to keep it closed as the vampires within struggled to get out.

To Buffy's surprise, the teenagers rushed to her aid as well, and together, with Angel's help, they kept the door closed while Buffy looped a chain around the handles. Working quickly, she padlocked the door, then reached into her pocket for the book of matches.

"Everyone get back!" she ordered as she lit the match and tossed it next to the building. The flame ignited the gasoline, causing the small flame to grow into a raging fire.

The fire spread quickly, and soon enough, it reached the inside. Inside the factory, the vampires within screamed in agony as the flames eventually engulfed them.

Buffy kept her distance, her eyes glued to the scene.

She couldn't believe she'd done it.

She killed the Master. She destroyed the factory.

She changed the future.

* * *

><p>Most of the teenagers were halfway home now, but Oz and Larry stayed behind, watching as the flames engulfed what was once the factory. The screams couldn't be heard anymore. If there was any life whatsoever inside, there wouldn't be for much longer.<p>

Oz sidled up next to Buffy, mesmerized by the flames as well. "That's pretty impressive," Oz said with a nod of his head.

Buffy shrugged. "I burned a high school gym once. This was nothing."

"So you're that slayer girl, right? Buffy?" Oz asked. "Giles mentioned you."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Thanks for the help," Larry said.

"Thanks for yours as well. Why _did _you help? That was pretty bold of you guys, not to mention dangerous."

Oz smiled. "We're the White Hats. It's what we do. Oz by the way."

"And I'm Larry," the other one said.

"Nice to meet you Oz and Larry."

Oz looked over Buffy's shoulder, seeing a dark-haired man standing behind her. "Who's your friend?"

Buffy glanced at Angel before turning back to Oz. "That's Angel. He's one of the good guys."

Oz studied the man for a moment, feeling there was something important he should know about him, but couldn't put his finger on it. "You look…familiar."

Angel recognized the young man too. He had been one of several teenagers he had rescued one night a few months ago. It had also been the night he was captured, a night he undoubtedly would never forget. "I saved you and your friends once. You probably don't remember me."

"So that was _you_. I always wondered who that'd been." Oz nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, man."

"You're welcome."

"You guys should go home now," Buffy said. "Just because we killed a lot vampires tonight doesn't mean there aren't still anymore out there."

"True, but I have a feeling things are going to be a lot calmer here from now on," Oz said. "Thanks to you."

"Don't speak too soon," she warned. "You _do_ live on a hellmouth. Go on home. I'll tell Giles the good news."

The teenagers said their goodbyes, and Buffy watched their retreating forms in the dark. They were probably around the same age as her, but she felt much older.

"You alright?" Angel asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Buffy looked at Angel and smiled. "I'm fine. Come on, let's go see Giles."

* * *

><p>When they reached the apartment, Angel took a seat on the bench, saying he'd wait for her outside.<p>

"You're not coming inside?"

"He doesn't know me in this reality," Angel said. "I'll wait."

Inside the apartment, Giles seemed eager to hear what had happened at the factory.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming back," he said, a hint of relief in his tone.

"Thanks for your confidence in me."

"I just meant, Miss Summers, that the Master is a formidable opponent. No one who has gone after him has come back alive. Did you find him?"

"Yeah, I found him. And your master problem is taken care of."

"The Master is _dead_?" Giles eyes were wide.

"Funny thing…he didn't turn to dust like a normal vampire. Have you ever heard of a vampire turning into a skeleton?"

"Very ancient ones, yes. So you really killed him? How on earth did you manage to accomplish that feat?"

"Element of surprise," she replied. "Works every time. I had some help too. That Oz and Larry are pretty brave." _And Angel too_, she added mentally.

Giles smiled. "Yes, well, we don't have a slayer here. Someone has to help keep things safe."

"Well things should be a lot safer, for now anyway. The Master's factory has been destroyed too. I burned the place down. Took out a good number of vamps. Oh, and by the way, I think your demon problem is over too, but maybe you already knew that."

Giles frowned. "Well, yes, Anyanka appears to be gone now. Although it doesn't appear that the world has actually changed for the better."

"It has, trust me. I doubt she'll bother you anymore. Besides, your real problem was the Master and I already took care of that."

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done, Miss Summers."

A low, buzzing noise sounded, and Buffy checked the pager on her belt. "It's my watcher," she told Giles. "You got a phone?"

Giles pointed to the counter. "Right over there."

When she finished with the call, Buffy made her way back into the living room. Giles sat in the chair and placed a mug of steaming tea on the coffee table.

"Wow. You British people really love your tea, don't you?"

"Would you like some?"

Buffy shook her head. "No thanks."

"So is everything all right in Cleveland?"

Buffy sat down on the couch. "Well…I wouldn't exactly say that everything's peachy. A cab should be on the way to pick me up in a little while."

"You're leaving? Tonight? But you just got here. Surely your watcher is not that demanding."

"He says I need to get back," she replied. "He's right. There's a lot of demonic activity in Cleveland."

While she waited for her ride, Giles was eager to hear more about the night's events, and Buffy filled him in, leaving out her field trip to an alternate reality. She'd been sad to learn of a Sunnydale better than this one was. No need to make anyone else upset about it.

Or maybe it didn't matter much anyway. With the Master gone, surely things would return to how they had been before. Maybe this Sunnydale wouldn't be so bad after all.

After a while, Buffy checked her watch, then rose from her seat. She put on her jacket and nodded toward the door. "Well, I should get going. My work here is done, and my ride should be here soon."

"Thank you again for all your help, Miss Summers. Are you sure you can't stay?"

"Can't. Cleveland needs me. There's a hellmouth there too, you know."

"Yes, of course."

"But if you need my help again, you know where to find me."

Giles nodded. "I might just take you up on that offer."

Buffy smiled at him. "I wish my watcher was more like you. Take care, Giles."

Giles nodded, walking Buffy to the door. "You as well, Miss Summers."

Buffy paused at the door and gave him another smile. "Please, call me Buffy."

* * *

><p>Outside in the small courtyard, Angel rose from the bench as Buffy left Giles' apartment.<p>

"So…now what?" he asked her.

"Now I need to get to the airport."

"Airport? You're leaving?"

Buffy shrugged. "Was thinking I could catch the red-eye back to Cleveland."

"I had thought you would stay here. Why go back to Cleveland?"

"Well, it may be the mistake by the lake, but it's still home, you know?"

Angel looked away, hoping to hide the disappointment in his eyes. He had hoped she'd at least stay in Sunnydale a little while longer. There was so much more he wanted to know about her.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, Angel."

Angel turned his head, making eye contact with her. "Yeah, I guess so. I hope everything goes well for you in Cleveland."

"Angel?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled. "I'm really glad I met you. Thanks for your help back there."

"Thanks for saving me, and for trusting me."

"I'm sorry if I didn't trust you earlier. You just have to be careful, you know?"

Angel nodded. "I understand."

A yellow cab pulled up to the curb, and Buffy nodded toward it. "That's my ride. I should probably get going."

Angel was surprised to see a cab already. He hadn't been planning on saying goodbye to her this soon.

"Goodbye, Angel."

_Take care of her. She's strong, and she's tough, and she'll kick your ass in a heartbeat. But she needs someone to watch her back every now and then, even if she won't admit it._

"Buffy."

She paused, then slowly turned around. "Yeah?"

"Stay."

"What?"

"I think you should stay. Stay here in Sunnydale. Don't go back to Cleveland."

Buffy turned to the cab driver and leaned toward the open window. "Can you wait just a moment?"

The driver nodded, and Buffy turned back to Angel. "I can't stay, Angel. My life isn't here. Maybe it is for the other Buffy, but not me."

"I think you're wrong. I think you were meant to be here."

"Was meant to be here, and now I have been. Sunnydale doesn't need me anymore."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I can't stay, Angel. I have to go back to Cleveland. That's where I'm needed. You understand, right?"

Angel didn't understand, but nodded anyway. "I guess I can't change your mind then, can I?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm sorry."

"Alright, then good luck in Cleveland I guess."

"Take care, Angel."

He nodded again, then watched as Buffy opened the back door. He had just started to walk away when her heard her speak again.

"Okay, I might be crazy."

Angel turned around, seeing Buffy standing there with the door still wide open. The corner of Angel's mouth turned upward into a smile. "Reconsidered?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, but I have another idea. Why don't you come with me?"

"Come with you? To Cleveland?"

Buffy turned to the cab driver once more. "I'm sorry, can you wait just one more moment?"

The cab driver shrugged. "I can wait all night, but it's gonna cost ya."

"That's fine, you can keep the meter running." Buffy walked back over to Angel. "Come with me to Cleveland," she asked him again.

Angel hadn't considered the option. He had always thought that Sunnydale was where he was supposed to be. But then of course, he had thought Buffy was supposed to be here as well, and she didn't want to stay here apparently. Maybe it wasn't where they were that mattered. Maybe what mattered was that they were together, no matter where they were. And besides, he _had_ promised he'd take care of her. It was what he had wanted to do from the very beginning: keep her safe.

"Why?" Angel asked out of curiosity. "Why would you want me to come with you?"

"Why not? You have no ties here, right? And besides, aren't you like my destiny or whatever?"

Angel smiled again.

"Come with me to Cleveland. You're a good fighter, and I could use you. Plus, it'd be nice to have someone in my corner for a change. So, what do you say?"

"We don't know each other that well," Angel pointed out.

Buffy shrugged. "So we'll get to know each other."

"You really want me to go to Cleveland with you?"

"You wanted to help me, right?"

"I could help you. Do you know any martial arts?"

"A few."

"I could spar with you. I bet you could use a good sparring partner. Wesley doesn't spar with you, does he?"

Buffy laughed. "No."

A moment passed, and Buffy smiled, waiting for his answer. "So? What do you say?"

"Okay, I'll go with you," he said with a smile.

"Good," Buffy said, taking his arm as she led him to the cab. "Cleveland just got a whole lot better."

THE END

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so maybe, theoretically, you could argue that Wishverse doesn't exist since Giles destroyed Anya's necklace, but the way I figure it is this: When Cordelia made the wish, it moved the "Wishverse" reality into the "true" reality. By destroying the necklace, things were returned to how they were supposed to be.

And if you're still thinking Wishverse can't exist, well then just suspend your disbelief for a while because the fact that it's still around could make for a really awesome story, maybe even a sequel. Hmm…

Thanks again for reading! :)

**SEQUEL UPDATE: **The Sequel to this story, "Stepping On Butterflies", is **NOW POSTED**! :) Check out my profile for the link!


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